Vicksburg National Military Park

The 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, the "bloodiest day in American History," is approaching and will occur next week on September 17. Although this patch is not specifically commemorative of the Battle of Antietam, I thought that it was an appropriate time to reflect on the Civil War and specifically the extreme amount of loss that was suffered by the American people during the war. I acquired this patch after visiting the Vicksburg National Military Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi on my 18th birthday.

The siege of Vicksburg began on May 18, 1863 and lasted until July 4, 1863, taking place over a period of one and a half months.  During that time an estimated 19,233 Union and Confederate casualties were suffered. The Battle of Antietam lasted one day.  On that September day in 1862, an estimated 23,100 casualties were suffered on both sides. During the entire Civil War, the United States and the Confederacy lost an estimated 750,000 men, roughly 2.5 percent of the entire U.S. population. If the U.S. suffered that percentage of loss of its population today, we would lose 7.5 million citizens.

I keep using the word "estimated" because during the Civil War there was no way to keep track of the number of soldiers killed on or off of the battlefield. Drew Gilpin Faust, president of Harvard University and author of This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War sheds light on how the Civil War ultimately redefined the federal government's obligation to those who sacrifice their lives for its survival. Before the Civil War, there was no battlefield ambulance system, no dog tags, no military cemeteries, no Memorial Day.  

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE will broadcast a documentary on September 18th, Death and the Civil War, based off of Faust's book. I highly recommend tuning in.

 

Comments

[Tony Davis]

This is a really nice patch: good graphic, good color, good stitching. The river in the graphic is a part of the base or field of the patch, but one has to take a couple of looks to realize it. The graphic is straightforward and simple and therefore very easy to understand. This is a super patch from The Magnolia State, my home, Mississippi. I will take a little credit for assisting the patch collector in aquiring this patch.. Do you remember that, Patch Collector? By the way, another very good commentary by the PC. Well done. Let's all watch American Experience (all of them) and make our children watch too. The patch gets a 9 out of 10.

[Jered]

I enjoyed this entry a lot Casey! Of course, I'm kinda partial to Vicksburg already!